Breville Barista Express BES860XL machine with grinder
by Breville
List Price:
Our Price: $599.95
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Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours
Buy Used: from $528.92 (click here)
Category: Kitchen
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Product Summary
Manufacturer: BrevilleBrand: Breville
Release Date: 2010-09-12
Model: BES860XL
Color: Grey
Product features:
- 15 Bar Italian-designed Thermoblock Pump
- Sealed bean hopper with 8oz capacity
- Integrated conical burr grinder
- Removable 67oz water tank with water filtration system
- Programmable or manual settings
Kitchen and Housewares Reviews of Breville Barista Express BES860XL machine with grinder
Customer Review: The Ultimate Cappuccino Machine
Summary: 5 Stars
Customer review from the Amazon Vine™ Program (What's this?)
I received the Breville Barista Express (model BES860XL) yesterday, and I've used it nine times in 24 hours.
The espresso is that good.
I've always been a coffee aficionado, and have spent more money at Starbucks this year than this machine is worth.
Sorry, Starbucks. You just lost a customer.
If you like cappuccino, espresso, americano, macchiato, cafe latte, con panna, etc. the Barsta Express is well worth the investment, and will pay for itself within six months of steady use.
Everything about this machine is top of the line. It's heavy, stainless steel. I've worked in several swanky restaurants in my younger days, and made more than my share of coffee drinks on expensive machines, (Pasquini, Bunn, Cecilware), but the Barista Express has all of them beat. It's built solid, to last a long time, and making any sort of drink is fast and easy.
Unboxing the Breville, I was surprised how few parts it came with. Besides the machine itself, you get a cleaning kit, four filters, a tamper, the portafilter, and an aluminum steam cup. From unwrapping to complete assembly took three minutes, thanks to an easy-to-follow Quick Start Guide complete with pictures. The water tank comes with a filter, for the best tasting coffee possible, and it also has a handle for easy transport from the sink to the machine.
Using the Breville is a snap. Fill it with fresh beans, choose the filter (two are double walled for beginners--for single and double shots-- and two are single walled for experienced baristas), press a button to fill the filter with fresh ground coffee, tamp, then press another button to make the coffee.
Seriously, anyone can do this.
The espresso comes out perfectly every time, with a nice crema (foamy head) and the exact coffee-to-water ratio.
The tamper itself is heavy, substantial, and magnetic, for easy storage in the base (it fits into the top so you can tamp one-handed.)
The portafilter is professional quality. Heavy enough to use as a lethal weapon (my advice; don't, because then the police will have to confiscate it.)
The grinder is fast, quieter than my stand alone model (so it won't wake up your spouse when you're making coffee at 6am), and always delivers the right amount.
But there were two things that impressed me most about the Barista Express.
First, every professional espresso machine I've ever used took time to warm up--sometimes up to ten minutes. The Barista Express can go from "off" to "drinking espresso" in a minute and a half. No warm up time needed, even for steamed milk, which brings me to...
THE STEAMER IS AMAZING!
Again, I've made coffee on at least three restaurant-quality machines (plus two cheap espresso machines that I wound up throwing away), but never has making steamed milk been so easy. An inch of skim milk (yes, SKIM--you know how hard that is to foam?) becomes a full cup of froth in about ninety seconds, with minimal effort.
My wife, who is a total noob when it comes to making cappuccino, was able to make a perfect cup easily.
As icing on the cake, the stainless steel and quality construction make clean-up a breeze. All you need to do is dump the grounds, give the portafilter a quick rinse, and wipe the machine down. If you spill coffee or milk in the machine, no problem--the lower tray removes easily and the contents can be dumped.
I love this thing. Seriously.
Best of all, the espresso and cappuccino it makes are so good, they don't need sweetener. Just a pinch of cinnamon on top, and you're good to go.
I haven't begun to play with the program feature yet (which allows more or less water per shot) or with grind size (which allows for coarser or finer grounds) and don't know if I'll ever need to. But it's good to know they're there if I want to experiment. The machine also comes with a fully illustrated instruction manual, which includes a troubleshooting guide and a few recipes.
In conclusion, the Barista Express BES860XL is not only makes a great cup of joe, but it's a pleasure to use. I have no doubt it will last for years, and I can't wait to have guests over so they can try it out.
If you want to invest in a machine that will fulfill all of your coffee dreams, this is the machine to buy. I'm getting another one for my mom.
Highly recommended.
Description of Breville Barista Express BES860XL machine with grinder
With its integrated conical burr grinder and dosing control, The Barista Express delivers the optimum path from espresso bean to thick crema in less than two minutes. Non-pressurized cafe style single-wall filters allow for experimentation of grind size, grind amoung and tamping pressure to explore the art of espresso. Pressurized dual-walled filters help beginners by delivering smooth crema every time. The integrated tamper with magnetized lock in storage allows you to tamp to your preference while attached to the machine or the counterEspresso Machines
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